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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24153943">Complete/Incomplete</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sierra_Hotel/pseuds/Sierra_Hotel'>Sierra_Hotel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>World Wrestling Entertainment</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Family Issues, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Protectiveness, Self-Esteem Issues, Threesome - M/M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:48:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,632</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24153943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sierra_Hotel/pseuds/Sierra_Hotel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When college student Austin Theory walks into a cafe, he's not expecting to feel a pull toward the guy working the counter. Angel Garza and Andrade "Cien" Almas are soulmates who never suspected their bond wasn't complete. Angel's desire to flirt with the hot new customer creates a big mess that could lead to something good.<br/>Plenty of other characters and pairings as supporting cast.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aleister Black | Tommy End/Zelina Vega | Rosita, Andrade "Cien" Almas/Angel Garza/Austin Theory, Billie Kay/Peyton Royce, Drew McIntyre/Buddy Murphy/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black, Sasha Banks/Bayley | Davina Rose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatsukiLeeRkoLover/gifts">NatsukiLeeRkoLover</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Characters:<br/>Zelina/Aleister - Cafe owners<br/>Andrade - Cafe manager<br/>Angel - Cafe assistant manager<br/>Austin - college student<br/>Seth - student/part time cafe worker<br/>Billie/Peyton - students/cafe patrons<br/>Bayley - cafe pastry chef<br/>Sasha -<br/>Drew -<br/>Buddy -</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Here you go, one vanilla latte and one caramel macchiato," Angel says as he sets two mugs on the table two of his favourite clients have claimed. "Bayley sent over a slice of espresso cheesecake for you both. Enjoy."</p><p>"Thanks Angel," Peyton flashes him a quick smile while Billie doesn't look up from her book. Finals time.</p><p>Angel heads back behind the counter, grabbing a rag to wipe down the top of the dessert case. The kitchen door behind him swings open and Andrade joins him, beginning to make himself a coffee. The door to the cafe also opens, revealing a young man Angel has never seen before but he pegs as a new student to the local college. The new semester starts in two weeks and Angel's gotten used to seeing new faces around this time.</p><p>"Ay, Papi," Angel says softly to Andrade, "that is one cute new face."</p><p>He probably should have waited until Andrade was finished pouring his coffee before he spoke since the hiss he hears from behind him tells him the other man likely spilled a little hot coffee on himself. He has to shush any reprimand as the new customer has made his way to the counter and Angel flashes him a smile.</p><p>"Welcome and what can I get for you?" He watches the young man's eyes scan their menu above the counter, looking a little overwhelmed. "I do make excellent recommendations, if you'd like to know what tastes good here."</p><p>"Ummm, sure I guess," the customer shrugs but with the hint of a smile.</p><p>"Tell me," Angel leans over the counter, just a little, "do you prefer sweet or salty?"</p><p>He feels a light kick at his ankles from Andrade but he ignores it. He's a flirt. He knows it, Andrade knows it, the cafe's owners know it, all their regulars know it. He gets bigger tips that way, usually, though there's a few regulars he doesn't dare flirt with as they were uncomfortable when he started to, so he stopped immediately. He only flirts with people who show some sort of positive reaction and most of their customers say it brightens their day.</p><p>"I like chocolate?" the customer's eyes keep darting between him and Andrade, who must still be standing behind him. Angel guesses the student isn't a big coffee drinker and he's always eager to convert new people. The only person more excited to talk coffee drinks is their part-time employee Seth.</p><p>“Why don't you take a seat over there,” Angel points to a table with a bench in the corner, “second best seat in the house. I'll bring you over something that'll blow your mind. Promise.”</p><p>He feels Andrade kick at his ankles again but he keeps his focus on the young man, sees the emotions flicker across his face before he smiles and heads to the seat Angel had pointed to. He sets to work making a cafe mocha for the customer, feeling Andrade watching him as he moves and he doesn't have to turn around to know there's an exasperated but fond smile on the other man's face. Andrade always acts annoyed by the flirting but it's more of a game to them.</p><p><br/>
“I hate to ask,” Andrade begins, “what's the best seat?”</p><p>“My lap,” Angel turns to flash him a grin.</p><p>Andrade just shakes his head, topping up his coffee before heading back through the kitchen door where they also have a small office. Angel finishes the mocha, adds a piece of chili chocolate brownie to a plate, and brings both over to the table. The student looks up from the book he'd pulled from his bag, smiling as Angel sets down the drink and treat. He waves away the wallet that the young man brings out.</p><p>“On the house,” he says with a wink. “First time special.”</p><p>“Thanks,” the student smiles and Angel can't help but notice his lips, so plump, and he smiles back. He waits for his potential new favourite customer to take a sip of his mocha, watching his eyes flutter closed for a second as the taste hits him. “This is delicious. What is it?”</p><p>Angel takes a quick look around the cafe to make sure no one was in need of anything then takes the seat across from the student. “That is a cafe mocha. And a chili chocolate brownie. Chef's specialty.”</p><p>“Oh,” the student seems a little taken aback that someone is suddenly sitting across from him. “Hi?”</p><p>“I'm Angel,” he introduces himself. Sure, he will admit that he finds this young man attractive, but he does have an ulterior motive for his actions. Himself, Andrade, and the cafe's owners Zelina and Aleister have always considered their student clientele a little differently from the rest. The cafe had a study area blocked off for student-only use, they've each tutored different students, sent unsold pastries and food home with them, whatever they could do to help. And if Angel's suspicions are correct and this young man is a student, he wants him to know he's always welcome.</p><p>“Austin,” comes the reply. Austin has a look on his face that Angel has seen often time before, the one that says he wants to ask if his name is really Angel, but he stays silent. His eyes dart over to the empty counter before coming back to Angel's face. “You're not going to get in trouble for being over here?”</p><p>“Sometimes trouble is worth it,” Angel laughs then quickly assures Austin he's only joking, he won't be in any trouble. He waits for the student to take another sip of his drink, enjoying the way his tongue darts out to lick traces of whipped cream on his lips. They keep talking, Angel having to get up only once when a customer comes in, and Angel learns a lot about the student. Him being a student is one of those facts. Austin is starting school in a few weeks and studying health and fitness and he's just moved into the same apartment building as Angel and Andrade. He also learns that Austin knows no one in the city, that his parents are paying for his school and apartment but they don't have a great relationship, that he's single, that he's interested in guys. When Austin stops talking, he looks a little stunned that he told a stranger so much but Angel just assures him it's fine. “I might not be a bartender, but people like to talk to me about things. I don't mind.”</p><p>Austin nods, taking the first bite of the brownie, and Angel waits for the reaction. He gets the exact one he's expecting: a low moan and eyes fluttering closed at the rich chocolate taste. Almost everyone who's tried it has had the same reaction. Bayley had really outdone herself with that recipe. She's always inventing new desserts and testing them on her favourite customers, usually Billie and Peyton or her girlfriend Sasha. Angel's favourite taste test remains when Bayley had made a failed custard filled cupcake that had fallen apart the second one of Seth's boyfriends, Drew, had taken a bite. The shocked look on the Scot's face had been priceless, and not just because Angel's sure Drew isn't too fond of him.</p><p>As they're talking, Seth arrived for his shift, giving Angel a confused look with a smile as he notices him in the corner. Angel excuses himself from Austin, reluctantly, to go catch Seth up on the day. Once he does that, he's done for the day.</p><p>“Hey Sethie,” Angel says as he slips back to the staff side of the counter. “How was class?”</p><p>Seth has been taking a few courses to upgrade his design degree while working part-time in the cafe. From the conversations he's had with Seth, he knows Drew would prefer that Seth not work while taking classes but Seth is determined to still contribute to their bills. Both Seth's partners tend to be a little protective of him due to his past, not that Angel can blame them. He and Andrade have also taken Seth under their wing since the first day he started at the cafe and Bayley has been known to slip him extra pastries at the end of his shift.</p><p>“Group projects suck but good, other than that,” Seth replies, grabbing his apron from the hook and tying it around his waist. Seth often starts his shift after his class until the cafe closes at eight, a few days a week and one weekend shift. “You off now?”</p><p>“Yes,” he takes a look over to where Austin is sitting, already planning to rejoin him if the student will have him. “Andrade is in the office. If Drew can't pick you up then Andrade will take you home.”</p><p>He ignores the eye roll. The cafe is in a safe area of the city and Seth lives about a ten minute walk away but there's no reason for him to walk when Andrade will be driving so close to his house on his way home. And it's always better to be safe. He leaves Seth at the cash, heading through the kitchen door to the office so he can say goodbye to Andrade before he clocks off. There's an amazing smell coming from Bayley's oven but their pastry chef is missing from the kitchen, probably grabbing ingredients in one of the pantries.</p><p>“Heading home?” Andrade looks up from the sheets of paper he's sorting when Angel walks into the office.</p><p>“In a bit,” Angel comes around the desk to give the older man a quick kiss. There's a stern office rule about nothing more than quick kisses allowed in the office since it's a shared desk between them and Zelina and Aleister. “I'm going to sit with Austin if he wants the company. He's the new customer who came in earlier.”</p><p>Andrade just shakes his head with a smile. “Should I tell Zelina we might end up with a new employee again?” he teases.</p><p>“It worked out last time,” he points out. Last time being when he'd inserted himself into the life of a young, skinny student who looked like they needed a friend and they ended up with Seth, a great and loyal employee who became part of their family. “But no, I don't think it's the same situation as Seth.”</p><p>“See you at home,” Andrade says as Angel heads out the door.</p><p>“Bye,” he also calls out a goodbye to Bayley, who's reemerged from the pantry and is arranging whatever she'd baked on her table.</p><p>Angel grabs his jacket before heading back into the cafe, doubling checking with Seth that he doesn't need anything and reminding him that Andrade will drive him home if needed. Austin's still sitting in the corner table so he heads over and slides back into his earlier seat, noticing that the student has finished his brownie and almost finished his mocha.</p><p>“Would you like another mocha?” he offers.</p><p>“No thanks,” Austin gives him a shy smile but his eyes have an amused look that tells Angel the student isn't so shy and innocent. “I gotta get going. Lots of unpacking to do.”</p><p>“I should to,” Angel stands, grabbing Austin's dishes to return them to the counter and ignoring the student's protest that he can do it. “Quick, out the door before I get put to work again.”</p><p>That gets a laugh from Austin as they head out. It's not a long walk to their apartment building and Angel quickly learns that the student is also walking home so he takes the time to point out different stores along the way. All the 'need-to-know' spots someone new to the area wouldn't know because they're local favourites. He's flirting, he knows he's flirting, and Austin's face is red with a slight blush but he's also teasing Angel back. It doesn't take them long to reach their building and, since there's no elevator, they head up the stairs and come to Angel's floor first.</p><p>“We're in apartment 2C,” Angel tells him before Austin can keep walking up the stairs. “If you need anything or get bored, come visit.”</p><p>“We?” Austin cocks his head in confusion.</p><p>“My soul...” he trails off as he sees Austin's eyes darken and a blank look replaces the confusion on his face. Angel thinks back to their whole conversation, the flirting, the touching, the free food, the flirting, and realizes he's never mentioned being taken. They don't often get new customers that Angel feels a pull towards and he's so used to all their regulars just knowing he's with Andrade that he hadn't even thought to mention it. He'd been so busy trying to get to know Austin that he hadn't thought to talk about himself. And he's obviously given Austin the wrong impression. Well, not technically. He's sure he would be very interested if he hadn't already found his soulmate.</p><p>Before he can say anything else, apologize, explain, Austin has disappeared up the stairs. Angel can't even go after him to apologize since he doesn't know which apartment belongs to the student. Austin had disappeared quickly so Angel thinks he might just be on the floor above but he doesn't know his neighbours well enough to start knocking on doors hoping to find the right apartment. All he can do is go into his own apartment and wait for Andrade to get home, hoping his partner will know which apartments had been empty that might belong to Austin now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Apology</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angel confesses to Andrade and asks for help in tracking down Austin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andrade lets himself into his apartment a little later than usual, having gotten caught up in conversation with Drew after he dropped Seth off at his house. After Angel had left, the rest of the night had been pretty standard with a small rush around supper time that he came out of the office to help Seth with, then they cleaned and locked up. They didn't get to talk much on the ride since it's a short drive so when Drew, who'd been waiting on the front porch for them, invited him in, Andrade accepted. He didn't stay long, just long enough to catch up with Drew's latest project for his company and get an invite to Buddy's next show.</p>
<p>	"I'm home," he calls out, knowing Angel wouldn't be in bed this early. He finds his lover in their living room, staring blankly at the television as some cooking show he doesn't recognize plays. "What's wrong?"</p>
<p>	"You were right," Angel sighs and rests his head on Andrade's shoulder when the older man sits next to him. He feels his lover's fingers in his hair and he relaxes into the touch. “I gave Austin the wrong idea.”</p>
<p>	“Did he hurt you?” Andrade demands, pulling away so he can check Angel over.</p>
<p>	Angel grabs his hands before he can, instead wrapping Andrade's arms around himself and settling against his lover's chest. “No, he didn't. I think I hurt him. Or gave him the wrong idea. I have to apologize and explain.”</p>
<p>	Andrade kisses the top of Angel's head and tightens his arms around his lover. It's not the first time someone has read too much into his soulmate's flirting but usually Angel is good to tell when it's beginning to happen and put a stop to it. That Angel hadn't been able to tell this Austin was reading his flirting the wrong way worries him, not that he doesn't trust Angel. He knows his soulmate would never cheat on him. But something about this student had blinded Angel's usually good instincts and it makes Andrade want to know more about him.</p>
<p>	“Do you which apartments were empty in the building?” Angel asks.</p>
<p>	“Why?” Andrade frowns at the random question.</p>
<p>	“Austin lives here too,” comes the reply. “He disappeared upstairs before I could try to explain. If I know which apartment he lives in, I can go apologize.”</p>
<p>	“I can find out,” Andrade tells him. He knows there are several apartments in the building that are empty but he's not sure exactly which ones. He can find out easily enough through Charlotte, the daughter of their landlord, in exchange for some free pastries from the cafe. Once he does, he will be there when Angel talks to Austin again. He doesn't want any more misunderstandings that make Angel feel bad about himself again. He doesn't want to see Angel slide back into the same patterns he was in when they'd first met.</p>
<p>	Angel sighs, letting the feel of Andrade's arms make him feel safe. It helps keep his mind focused on the present, here with his soulmate, instead of drifting to the past and the memories of the man who had claimed to be his soulmate back before Angel knew the pull of a true soulmate. He had been young, actually around the same age that Austin appears to be, and the idea of finding his soulmate so easily had left him easy prey for someone looking for a victim. Remembering that is another reason he feels guilty for Austin's reaction, and makes him worry for the young student. He doesn't want to see anyone else fall into the same trap he did, wanting to find their soulmate so badly that they're willing to believe they've found that bond even when there's no pull. It's in his nature to be protective and there's something about Austin that makes every protective instinct in his body scream, even after such a short time together.</p>
<p>	“Do you need me to do anything?” Andrade asks. He knows when Angel gets down on himself that his lover feels soft and clingy, that he sometimes needs to be held like this but other times he needs to be taken out of his head.</p>
<p>	“No,” Angel replies. “I'm good with you here.”</p>
<p>	*****</p>
<p>	They ended up falling asleep curled together on the couch. Not the most comfortable way to wake up. Angel's relieved his phone alarm is set to go off at the same time each morning or he'd have been late waking up for work. He lets Andrade sleep, shifting his sleeping lover into a more comfortable position, then hops in the shower. He's opening the cafe this morning while Andrade has the day off. He's sure Andrade will show up anyway. Aleister is closing tonight and since he and Zelina have been away for a few days, Andrade will want to catch them up.</p>
<p>	Andrade is still asleep when Angel comes back out, dressed for work, and he carefully covers the other man with a blanket, kissing his forehead. He doesn't risk making himself breakfast, figuring he can grab something at the cafe, so he doesn't accidentally wake Andrade. He leaves the car, letting the morning air clear his head on the walk to work. He beats Bayley, just barely, and sets about getting coffee brewing and the dessert displays filled. At some point Bayley comes out of the kitchen with a plate holding a freshly baked muffin and orders to eat it. By the time he's ready to open the doors, he's had the muffin and a mug of coffee and he's ready to face the day.</p>
<p>	The morning is pretty standard, he sees most of their regulars coming in to grab their caffeine rush on their way to work or school and he uses any slow time to keep the dessert display full and coffee brewing. He doesn't want to fall behind during the lunch rush. Aleister arrives just before lunch, helping him by running the register while Angel fills the orders, working in synch, and the time flies by. Before he knows it, Andrade has arrived and Aleister offers to watch the counter so Angel can grab some lunch that Andrade brought him.</p>
<p>	“Thanks,” he and Andrade settle in the office to eat. He wants to ask if Andrade has had any luck finding Austin but figures his lover would have mentioned it the second they were alone if he had. And he doesn't want to give Andrade more reason to worry that he's becoming fixated on another man. Not that he thinks Andrade wouldn't trust him, but he knows his lover worries about him for many reasons. </p>
<p>	Just as they're finishing their lunch, Zelina walks into the office. She's closing tonight with Aleister since Seth has an exam in the morning. Angel leaves her and Andrade to talk and goes out to relieve Aleister so he can join them. He might be the cafe's assistant manager but his talents lie with customers and inventory over the day to day operations, so he's happy to be behind the counter while they go through all the paperwork and numbers together. Billie and Peyton stop by to grab some lattes to go on their way to an exam, Sasha orders her favourite iced drink before ignoring the “Employees Only” on the kitchen door so she can visit Bayley, and pretty soon Andrade is joining him behind the counter to make his own coffee a few minutes before Angel is off shift.</p>
<p>	Andrade had walked to the cafe since it's a beautiful day and he figures he and Angel can take the long way back to their apartment. He has no news for his lover about Austin. He had called Charlotte but had to leave a message and so far she hasn't called him back. Not that he'd expected to be able to get a hold of her so easily. She's a busy woman but his offer of free pastries and coffee should help catch her attention. </p>
<p>	“How about we go home and watch a movie,” Angel suggests, “then go out to eat? Aleister said there's a new place that opened by the library.”</p>
<p>	“I'm picking the movie,” Andrade says immediately. Angel had chosen the last few movies they'd watched and they hadn't been great. He doesn't want to fall asleep in the middle of the day or else he won't sleep tonight and he opens the cafe in the morning.</p>
<p>	“Hey, I have good taste in movies,” Angel laughs as Andrade throws an arm over his shoulder. He had enjoyed all those movies. “But yes, you can pick the movie. No horror.”</p>
<p>	Andrade chuckles and pulls Angel even closer so he can kiss the side of his head. He keeps his arm over Angel's shoulders the rest of the way to their apartment building. He can't help noticing the way Angel's eyes linger on the stairs leading up to the next floor before they head down the hall to their apartment, can't help wondering if there's more to his interaction with Austin than he'd mentioned. What is it about that student that has his lover so out of sorts?</p>
<p>	They get settled on the couch and Andrade grabs the remote before Angel can, flicking through his Netflix watch list. He picks a comedy, wanting to keep the playful mood from their walk, and they watch in silence, just enjoying each other's company. Until a really cheesy joke sets Angel off in a laughing fit, which sets off Andrade, and the next few minutes of the movie are ignored as they try to get themselves under control. When one manages to stop laughing, the other starts again, and they end up having to rewind part of the movie.</p>
<p>	“Do you want to walk to the restaurant?” Angel asks. It would be a bit of a walk, much longer than to the cafe, but with it being such a nice day turning into a nice night, another walk sounds like a good idea to him.</p>
<p>	“Okay,” Andrade agrees easily.</p>
<p>	“I want to change first,” Angel makes a face when he looks at his outfit. He hadn't changed out of his work clothes and he wants fresh clothes for their date, not clothes that smell slightly of the cafe.</p>
<p>	“Hurry,” Andrade says. “I'm hungry.”</p>
<p>	Angel laughs, gives him a quick kiss, then disappears down the hall. He takes a seat on the couch to wait, knowing Angel is going to take his time to look perfect – even though Andrade always thinks he looks perfect. He starts browsing through his phone while he waits until a knock on the door gets his attention. They're not expecting anyway and they don't usually have unexpected visitors drop by so he has no idea who could be at the door. He pulls the door open and just stares in surprise.</p>
<p>	“Uh, hi?” it's Austin. Guess he doesn't need to bribe Charlotte into giving him the student's information. “Is Angel here?”</p>
<p>	“He is,” Andrade leans against the door jam, sizing up Austin. He can tell the student is uncomfortable but trying to hide it. “Why?”</p>
<p>	Austin lifts a hand to rub at the back of his neck, something Andrade himself does when he's nervous. The student is antsy, shifting his weight from foot to foot and unable to meet Andrade's eyes, and the older man can see why Angel had been drawn to him. This Austin is exactly the type to hit all of Angel's protective buttons. Andrade might have to get used to the idea that this student will end up in his life in some capacity. If Angel thinks there's something there, that Austin is in need of something, Andrade isn't going to stop him.</p>
<p>	“I, uh, wanted to talk to him,” Austin still doesn't meet his eyes. “I'll be fast.”</p>
<p>	“He'll be out soon,” Andrade steps back from the doorway but Austin doesn't move. “Come in.” Andrade leads him to the living room and motions to the couch. After Austin takes a seat, Andrade heads to the bedroom to warn Angel that they have a guest.</p>
<p>	“He's here?” Angel's eyes widen at the news and he pulls on the first shirt he grabs from the drawer, not caring that it's Andrade's and not his. “What does he want?”</p>
<p>	“He said to talk,” Andrade shrugs.</p>
<p>	They head out to the living room together, finding Austin fiddling with a hole in his jeans as he waits for them. He looks up when he senses them come in, eyes wide as he looks from Andrade to Angel then back to Andrade. He looks so tense and worried. Angel takes a seat on the other end of the couch while Andrade perches on the arm behind him. Then they all stare at each other, waiting, unsure where to start and who should start.</p>
<p>	“Hi again,” Angel finally takes pity on the student, giving him a reassuring smile. “I'm glad you're here. I was actually trying to track you down.”</p>
<p>	“Why?” Austin doesn't smile back, eyes dropping down to his lap. “I, uh, I came to apologize. I was an idiot.”</p>
<p>	“No you weren't,” Angel says automatically. He hates when people put themselves down. “I'm the one who's sorry. I should have told you about Andrade so you didn't get the wrong idea.”</p>
<p>	Andrade reaches out to place a hand on Angel's shoulder, squeezing gently. He can tell Angel is blaming himself, getting into his head again, and he wants to try to stop it. He's already mentally cancelling their dinner plans and thinking about ordering in, having a nice quiet night with Angel now instead of going out. He doesn't think Angel will be up to it after this conversation.</p>
<p>	“Oh,” Austin is frowning at the apology, obviously confused. He looks so young. “I'm still sorry. I don't usually...I mean....oh I don't know.”</p>
<p>	“I get it,” Angel reassures him, reaching up to place his hand on Andrade's that's still on his shoulder. He's not going to assume anything, he learned that lesson with Austin already, but he really does feel a strange pull toward the young man and feels like they may have similar stories. “It's okay. I hope this means you won't be avoiding the cafe. We do serve the best in the city.”</p>
<p>	Andrade laughs and it actually gets a small smile from Austin. He can see the student take a deep breath before agreeing that he'll keep going to the cafe, and Andrade can tell he's telling the truth and not just placating Angel. The silence between them this time is more amicable, lasting about a minute before Austin starts to excuse himself, apologizing for bothering them. Angel glances up at Andrade and the older man shakes his head with a smile.</p>
<p>	“Austin,” he calls out before the student can disappear out the door. The young man turns to look back at them, uncertainly clear on his face. “You hungry?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tired</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dinner, movie, and the day after.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They order pizza. Not the romantic dinner Andrade had been hoping for but it's quick, easy, and when Angel had suggested a large half-meat, half-veggie, Andrade and Austin had readily agreed. He hopes the student didn't agree just to keep Angel happy. While they wait for their food, Angel's been keeping up a steady stream of almost one-sided conversation, telling Austin all about the city, the workings of the cafe, answering if Austin asks a question. It doesn't help Andrade learn anything new about Austin but he also can't think of any questions to ask that doesn't make him sound like a father interrogating his daughter's first boyfriend.</p>
<p>	“So Austin,” he decides to just go ahead with his questions. “why did you pick Full Sail University?”</p>
<p>	“Oh, umm,” the change in conversation seems to throw the student but he recovers quickly. “I don't really know. For a new start I guess.”</p>
<p>	Andrade feels Angel tense and gives his shoulder a squeeze. He knows his partner is wondering the same thing as him: what could have happened in this kid's life that he already felt like he needed a new start. A new start, an escape, is what brought Angel to the city a few years earlier without any real plans. He'd just felt a pull to the city, which turned out to be because Andrade lived there, his soulmate. If Austin feels the same pull, it could be because his soulmate is somewhere in the city.  Andrade's sure Angel will insist on helping the student find them. Angel loves to play matchmaker.</p>
<p>	There's a buzzing noise that cuts into their conversation, signalling that the pizza has arrived. Andrade heads down, waving off Austin's attempt to pay at least his share. It's not like the order is expensive so he sees no need to take money from the student. He trusts that Angel will grab some drinks and get the table ready while he's grabbing the pizza. Sure enough, when Andrade returns to the apartment, he finds Angel and Austin at their kitchen table, plates set out and a glass of iced tea waiting for him. He's slightly amused when he notices that Austin takes a slice of pepperoni and a slice of veggie, and he has both a glass of water and a glass of iced tea. For pizza at least, it seems like the student is a mix of himself and Angel. He prefers veggie pizza with iced tea while Angel is pepperoni all the way with a glass of water.</p>
<p>	They eat mostly in silence, besides Austin taking the time to remark on how good the pizza is and wanting to know which restaurant it's from for future pizza nights. It doesn't take the three of them long to polish off the whole large pizza then Angel sends the two of them back to the couch while he spends a few minutes cleaning up. Austin tries to make an excuse to leave them but Angel cuts him off.</p>
<p>	“You really want to go back to your apartment all alone?” he asks. “Or do you want to watch a movie with us? You can pick.”</p>
<p>	Andrade doesn't protest, though he hadn't been planning on watching another movie tonight. He can see the longing on the student's face, remembers his own time living in an apartment by himself and the loneliness. Even though he'd been hoping for a night of fun with Angel, he can't bring himself to send Austin away. They'll have to introduce the student to some of their regulars so Austin has people he can hang out with, people his own age. He can't imagine a college student wants to hang out every night with a boring couple who spend most nights watching movies and cooking shows.</p>
<p>	“Okay, I guess,” Austin shrugs, eyes darting toward the door anyway.</p>
<p>	“Ignore him,” Andrade tells him, gently nudging Angel so his lover knows he's teasing. “If you want to leave, you can leave. But you are welcome to stay. Just no horror movies.”</p>
<p>	“I can do that,” Austin gives a small laugh. He retakes his place on the couch while Andrade takes the spot where Angel had been sitting. “Thanks,” Austin says as Andrade hands him the remote. “You can pick though. I mean, it's your TV.”</p>
<p>	Andrade shakes his head, smiling. “If I pick, he will know,” he whispers with a wink.</p>
<p>	Netflix is still up and Austin starts scrolling through. Angel joins them before he's chosen a movie, sitting in between them and settling against Andrade's shoulder. Austin picks an action movie from their watch list and they're soon focused on watching, lulled into a comfortable silence. Usually they would talk a little during a movie but with Austin there, they keep their comments to themselves this time. If they get to know the student better and learn he's alright with talking while watching a movie, they'll be more themselves next time.</p>
<p>	Andrade finds himself actually pulled into the plot of the movie and before he knows it, the credits are rolling. Angel shifts against him, stretching out as best he can without hitting Austin. They both look over when they notice Austin hasn't moved and see that the student has fallen asleep, head tipped sideways in an uncomfortable looking position that makes Andrade wince. Angel sits up and turns to face him, an amused smile on his face that Andrade matches.</p>
<p>	“We should wake him,” Angel says quietly.</p>
<p>	Taking his hand, Andrade motions with his head to the hallway and leads Angel toward their bedroom. He stops them short of going into the bedroom, just wanting enough distance that they won't disturb Austin while they talk. Andrade kisses Angel quickly then pulls away so they can talk.</p>
<p>	“You want to help him,” Andrade doesn't even have to ask. He can see it clearly on Angel's face.</p>
<p>	“He's alone,” Angel looks sad at the thought. Andrade takes his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “There's something...I don't know. I feel like we're supposed to help him. Is that crazy?”</p>
<p>	“Not for you,” Andrade has to smile. His lover has a soft spot for helping people find their soul mates, especially after finding his own changed so much in his life. “I am sure you already have ideas.”</p>
<p>	Angel shrugs, unable to deny it. It's his day off tomorrow and with Andrade working, he might see if Austin needs any help getting settled into his apartment. He still remembers how long it had taken him to unpack all his boxes when he'd moved by himself, some of the boxes had actually still been packed when he and Andrade had moved in together. He moves back toward the living room, Andrade following him, and they find Austin still asleep. It doesn't look like the student has moved in their absence. Andrade motions him forward.</p>
<p>	“Austin,” Angel sits next to the sleeping man, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a gentle shake. Nothing happens so Angel tries again. “Austin, wake up.”</p>
<p>	“Huh?” Austin turns bleary eyes toward Angel, blinking in confusion. “Is the movie over?” he asks when he sees the television is off. “Wait...did I fall asleep?”</p>
<p>	“You did, Amigo,” Angel confirms, letting out a soft chuckle. He gives Austin's shoulder a squeeze before letting his hand drop away. “Don't worry. Moving is exhausting. We both know.”</p>
<p>	Austin takes a look around at the dimmed lights, Angel sitting next to him, Andrade standing beside the couch, and he leaps to his feet. Too fast. His head spins and he stumbles, probably would have fallen if Andrade didn't have fast reflexes and he's able to steady Austin before he falls. Angel also gets to his feet and they both help Austin back down to the couch.</p>
<p>	“Are you okay?” they both ask.</p>
<p>	“Oh, yeah,” Austin looks a little overwhelmed by their concern. That sets off alarms for both Andrade and Angel but they don't question him on it. Yet. There will be time for that another day. “Just got up too fast. I should go. Thanks for the pizza and movie.”</p>
<p>	Angel pushes him back down when he tries to stand. “Easy. Are you dizzy? You should drink some water.”</p>
<p>	“I really just got up too fast,” Austin insists. “I'm fine.”</p>
<p>	“At least let me give you our cell numbers,” Angel says, backing off a little when he sees Austin looks uncomfortable at their attention. “Just in case you need anything.”</p>
<p>	Austin nods, entering the two numbers into his contacts and then he gives them his cell number. He thanks them again for the food, trying to offer again to pay but they decline, and then he's gone.</p>
<p>	“Let's go to bed,” Andrade locks the door behind the student.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*****</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Andrade looks up as the door opens halfway through his morning, grinning when he sees Angel walk into the cafe. The cafe is empty of customers at the moment so Angel takes the opportunity to lean over the counter and kiss Andrade quickly before anyone can interrupt them. Without asking, Andrade sets about making Angel a coffee and adds one of Bayley's fresh made cheese croissants, setting them at the counter seat Angel has claimed. He's a little surprised to see his partner without Austin, especially after last night. He had expected Angel to check up on the student the second he woke up and convince Austin to spend the day with him so he could keep an eye on him.</p>
<p>	“Am I going to have to start banning you both from here on your days off?” Zelina's amused voice comes from the now open employees only door. “I might begin to think you don't know how to have fun without work.”</p>
<p>	“Aleister's in the office right now,” Andrade flashes her a grin. “And it's his day off.”</p>
<p>	“So we all need to get lives outside work,” Angel laughs before taking a long drink of coffee. “I do not think this is really a surprise.”</p>
<p>	Both Andrade and Zelina laugh at that, unable to disagree. Zelina fixes her own latte and joins Angel on the customer side of the counter, with Aleister coming out a few moments later to claim the empty seat by her side. The conversations turns to the new restaurant that Andrade and Angel had planned to try the night before and they all make plans to have a late dinner there one day next week after the cafe closes. They continue talking until the front door opens and an out of breath, sweaty Austin walks in.</p>
<p>	“He wanted to go for a run,” Angel shrugs when Andrade looks at him. “I showed him the trail and told him to meet me here when he was done. I thought he would be longer. He must run fast.”</p>
<p>	Andrade already has a glass of water ready for when Austin makes his way over to them, choosing to lean against the counter since there are no empty chairs. Angel makes the introductions, ignoring the amused look on Zelina's face. Aleister and Zelina head back to the office after that, freeing a seat for Austin who quickly hops up beside Angel. Andrade refills his water and grabs the student a blueberry scone.</p>
<p>	“Thanks,” Austin gulps down his second glass of water. “I might have pushed a little too hard. I haven't had much time for running with moving and stuff.”</p>
<p>	“How about a smoothie?” Andrade asks, already pulling out ingredients. He and Angel aren't runners, they prefer using the gym across town, but they both love smoothies after a workout. Making the smoothie is how he learns Austin hates pineapple and loves raspberries and soon a large smoothie is set in front of the student. “There you go.”</p>
<p>	“Thanks again.”</p>
<p>	A few customers come in so Andrade leaves to serve them, glancing over at Angel and Austin every now and then in between drinks. He's happy to see they both seem in better spirits than last night. Once they're all taken care of, he heads back over to Angel and Austin, refilling Angel's coffee and taking away their empty plates. Austin seems to have cooled off a bit, his face less red than when he'd first arrived.</p>
<p>	“What are you going after this?” he asks them, assuming Angel has already made plans. He's working a long shift today so he still has a few hours until he's off.</p>
<p>	“Shower,” Austin scrunches up his face like he'd just gotten a whiff of himself, causing both Angel and Andrade to chuckle. “You should have kicked me out. I smell terrible!”</p>
<p>	“You're not that bad,” Angel assures him. He turns his attention back to Andrade. “And we're going home. So Austin can shower and start to unpack.”</p>
<p>	From the look on the student's face, Andrade guesses it's not the first time Austin has heard this today. He's not sure exactly how long Austin has been in the city before they met him but with the kid not knowing anyone, he can't blame him for not being in a hurry to unpack. He's sure Angel will stay on him until Austin finally starts to settle in, and Andrade's sure he will get roped into helping. Angel's very good at volunteering him for stuff. Not that he can resist his partner asking with that smile of his.</p>
<p>	“See you at home,” Angel leans over the counter for a quick kiss after he sees Austin has finished his smoothie.</p>
<p>	Andrade watches his lover herd Austin out the door, ignoring the student's protests that he hadn't paid for his smoothie or scone. They seem to be getting along so well, and oddly Andrade finds he's not jealous. Some soulmates get jealous of their partner spending too much time with a new person, Andrade has been guilty of that himself, but with Austin it just feels different. Maybe because he's younger than them, maybe because Andrade feels the same pull toward the young man that Angel does, he's not sure why. But he's looking forward to getting to know the student better, and maybe helping Angel help Austin to find his soulmate.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Mess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Austin is a complete mess of a person.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Austin is overwhelmed. And so confused. Angel's gone back to his own apartment after helping him get his kitchen in order, and some good-natured teasing about how he hadn't unpacked any of his dishes yet. His confession that he's a horrible cook led to another dinner invitation from Angel but Austin had declined. He's still pretty sure he had interrupted their date night last night and he doesn't want to ruin their plans two nights in a row. So far they're the only people he knows in the city and he doesn't want to be so needy that they ditch him like everyone else in his life.</p>
<p>	He's never been great at making friends. The only kids he ever hung out with when he was growing up were kids he was related to during family events, the same kids he never saw outside of those family events. When his classes start in a few weeks, it will be the first time he's actually attending school with other people his age. His parents had hired him tutors for home school while they traveled the world for business. Later, after they divorced, he always felt like he was more of a pawn to them, only paid attention to when they needed to look good to investors or business partners.</p>
<p>	It's why he's always looked forward to finding his soulmate, a person out there who's destined to care about him. Even if he and his soulmate are one of the rare pairs that are platonic soulmates instead of romantic, he can handle that. So when he walked into a cafe just days after moving to a new city and a hot guy behind the counter started flirting with him, he let himself believe finding his soulmate would be that easy. Of course it wasn't; his life would never be that easy. And letting himself imagine it would be that easy led him to having to apologize, and led him to making decisions without thinking. Going into the apartment of two guys he doesn't know, falling asleep, what was he thinking?</p>
<p>	He lies down on the couch, letting his mind drift back to spending the day with Angel. After getting back to the apartment, Austin went and showered quickly, coming out in clean clothes to find Angel going through his fridge. That was when Austin had admitted he wasn't much of a cook, when Angel questioned him about the lack of food in his fridge, which was mostly stuff to make quick sandwiches and easy to heat up meals. He'd never had anyone to teach him how to cook or a reason to learn. His lack of food meant Angel insisted on going out and picking them both up lunch, refusing his attempts to pay yet again, and once they were done eating, they unpacked his kitchen.</p>
<p>It's so confusing. Angel has a soulmate but he's still being all nice to him, concerned about him. Austin's not used to people taking an interest, caring about him, not without ulterior motives. But Angel seems to have none. Even Andrade has been nice, though he's less sure if Angel's soulmate has only been nice to him for Angel's sake. He doesn't get the feeling that they're soul chasers, soulmate couples who get off on chasing after single people and putting them down for not finding their soulmates yet, but he's never been the best judge of character. From all the stories he's heard about soul chasers, the couple usually pays a lot of attention to a young, single person, becoming friends with them, seducing them, and then turning around and beating them up for not being good enough. The niece of one of his tutors had gotten involved with a couple like that. He remembers overhearing his tutor telling another tutor about how she'd been beaten, how they'd told her she was worthless, that her soulmate would never want her. His tutor had quit soon after that, moving with his niece and her family for a fresh start so Austin had never found out if the girl had recovered.</p>
<p>	He's sure they're not like that though, or maybe that's what he wants to think because they've been nice to him. And if they were like that, they would have taken advantage of him falling asleep in their apartment. He grabs the throw pillow from behind his head to muffle his scream of frustration, almost missing the knocking at his door. He pushes himself to his feet, not really in the mood for company and confused to who could be at his door. He's not expecting Angel to come back tonight.</p>
<p>	“Hi,” it's Andrade, holding a Tupperware dish.</p>
<p>	“Hi.”</p>
<p>	Andrade holds out the Tupperware so Austin takes it. It's still warm. He wonders if the older man brought it up as soon as they were finished eating and he feels a little guilty. He, and Angel, should be spending time together, not worrying about him. He's an adult. He should be able to take care of himself. He can learn to cook, he's sure he could if he tried. Not that his parents would even notice if he used their credit cards to eat out every single meal. He doubts they'll even look at the charges, both of them would just pay the bills without thinking about him.</p>
<p>	When Andrade clears his throat, Austin realizes he's been staring at the Tupperware in his hands. “Oh. Thank you. Come in?”</p>
<p>	“Angel said you had no food,” Andrade explains, following Austin into the kitchen. “Moving is hard,” he adds, looking around the sparse apartment.</p>
<p>	Austin meets his eyes with an embarrassed shrug. Normally he would get defensive when he thinks someone is under the impression that he can't take care of himself, but he figures if Andrade and Angel are going to push themselves into his life, they may as well know that he's a complete mess of a person now. It gives them one less excuse to use when they do eventually walk away like everyone else. Maybe there's a chance he'll find his soulmate before Andrade and Angel decide he's too much to deal with and then he won't be alone again.</p>
<p>	“Austin?” Andrade's voice brings him out of his thoughts. He finds the older man looking at him with concern. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>	“Yeah, fine,” Austin replies but it's automatic. It's what he always says to that question so no one ever thinks he's being a burden on them. “Thanks again for the food. I really should go shopping.”</p>
<p>	Andrade doesn't look convince but Austin's glad the older man doesn't call him out on his lie. Since he's not hungry yet, he puts the Tupperware dish in the fridge before turning around to face Andrade. The older man is silently watching him, like he's waiting for something. For what, Austin has no idea. Is he supposed to eat the food right away? Because he's really not hungry right now. He's realizing he did it again, he let a guy he barely knows into his apartment and he's accepted food from him. </p>
<p>	“Are you sure you are okay?” Andrade asks him.</p>
<p>	“Yeah,” Austin lies again. He's sure, again, that Andrade isn't buying it but at least the older man still doesn't call him out on it. Why does he care so much? It's so confusing. “Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind with the whole move and school starting soon. But I'm fine.”</p>
<p>	“Okay,” Andrade nods, looking to the door then back at Austin. “We will both be at the cafe all day tomorrow. Come visit when you need a break.”</p>
<p>	Austin blinks, then realizes Andrade is waiting for a reaction. “Sure. Thanks again for the food.”</p>
<p>	He locks the door behind Andrade, wondering how many times he'd thanked the man for bringing him food. Did he do it so many times that he looked like a desperate idiot? He goes back to the couch, collapsing on to it and curling around the throw pillow. He's so tired. Trying to figure out people is exhausting. The food Andrade brought stays untouched in his fridge as he falls asleep on the couch.</p>
<p>*****</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	He doesn't end up going to the coffee shop the next day. He avoids even going near it in case either Andrade or Angel look out the window and see him walking past. He spends the day doing errands, getting to know the city, doing those groceries he told Andrade he'd do, buying a few cookbooks. He feels like he actually got stuff done, and it's a good feeling. He's feeling so accomplished that he decides he's going to try one of the recipes from his easiest looking cookbook.</p>
<p>	He finds a pasta recipe that looks easy, mostly because he can use store-bought sauce. The recipes says he can use chicken but he thinks he shouldn't push it. Maybe if he can manage this pasta dish, he'll try something with meat in it next time. And if he messes it all up, he can order takeout. </p>
<p>	Mess it up, he does. Majorly. He's not even sure what he did wrong but his kitchen is a huge mess, he might have broken his microwave, and he can't even smell the food he was trying to cook, just burnt everything. He doesn't know if he should start cleaning the huge mess or just sit down in the middle of it and cry. He can't even make a recipe from a cookbook aimed at teens without screwing it all up.</p>
<p>	Of course as he's standing in the middle of his stinky, messy kitchen, that's when someone knocks on his door. He knows it has to be either Angel and Andrade. They're the only people it can be, probably checking on him because he didn't show up at the cafe. He really should have just gone to the cafe. It would have been awkward and confusing but far less embarrassing than letting them see him right now. The knocking comes again, this time with Angel's voice calling his name.</p>
<p>	“Hi,” he sighs after opening the door. Both Angel and Andrade stare at him in shock. “You probably shouldn't come in. It's a mess.”</p>
<p>	“What happened?” Angel pushes his way into the apartment anyway, ignoring Andrade trying to pull him back.</p>
<p>	“I cooked,” Austin laughs. It's that or cry. He smiles and waves off Andrade mouthing an apology to him. It's only been a couple of days but he's already learned that Angel is going to do what Angel's going to do. “It did not go well.”</p>
<p>	He watches as both men stare at the mess, look at him, then back at the mess. Wordless they start cleaning, even as Austin protests that he can clean his own mess. Angel just tosses a cloth at him and points to microwave where he'd been trying to heat up the pasta sauce when it exploded. Angel's cleaning the stove where he'd somehow managed to burn the pasta water while Andrade's filling the sink to wash dishes. This is not helping Austin's confusion about this whole situation but for now, he just goes with it.</p>
<p>	On the bright side, Austin thinks, nothing caught fire or caused a bunch of smoke. His apartment smells but he didn't destroy it. Hopefully opening the few windows his apartment has will help with the smell enough so that he can fall asleep tonight. Next time he tries to cook, he'll have to remember to close his bedroom door first. Just in case.</p>
<p>	“So when you said you are a horrible cook...” Angel trails off.</p>
<p>	“I meant I can't cook,” Austin admits, gesturing around the now clean kitchen. “Thanks for helping me clean up. I'm going to order some take out. Did you guys eat? The least I can do is buy you dinner for helping me clean up my mess.”</p>
<p>	Both men quickly confirm that they haven't eaten yet. When Austin takes a quick look at the clock, he sees the cafe had closed almost an hour ago and he remembers Andrade mentioning they both were working all day. So they probably came up here straight after getting off work to check on him. He really should throw in dessert too. It really is the least he can do for all the help and the meals and treats they keep giving him and refusing his attempts to pay them back.</p>
<p>	“Do you want to eat at our place?” Angel asks as Austin's opening the kitchen window. “You can let your apartment air out while we eat?”</p>
<p>	Austin quickly accepts that offer, ignoring the little voice in his head telling him he's putting himself in a bad position again. Andrade just washed all his dishes and Angel scrapped burned remains off his stove. Austin's pretty sure they wouldn't have done that if they were just trying to get in his pants. He does turn down Andrade's offer of sleeping on their couch tonight. Hopefully by the time they decide on what food to order, it arrives and they eat, his apartment will be aired out enough so he can sleep. If not, he can always go to a hotel. Providing of course, these two don't follow him back upstairs later tonight to check on his apartment and insist again he stay on their couch. Austin's not sure he's strong enough to resist their offer a second time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Advice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angel seeks out some advice from Zelina and plans begin for the cafe's bi-annual student party.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Angel hums to himself as he wipes down the counter. Zelina's clearing off tables after their lunch rush and Seth will be in for his shift in about two hours to relieve him. He always enjoys working with Zelina. Her and Aleister have one of his favourite soulmate stories, meeting back in high school on Zelina's first day as a new student. They make him wish he'd met Andrade much sooner. If he'd met Andrade in high school, met his soulmate that young, he never would have fallen for the lies of his ex-boyfriend.</p>
<p>	Once the cleaning is done, Zelina sends him to the office to eat his lunch. He has leftovers from the food Austin had ordered last night, with the student insisting on leaving them half of what was left. The kid had gone back to his own place afterward and Angel hasn't seen him since then. He's been hoping the student will drop by the cafe but so far, no sign of him. He and Andrade had had a long discussion after Austin left the night before, trying to figure out why they both feel the need to help the kid and how to continue doing that while backing off a bit. They could both tell Austin was a little overwhelmed by all their attention, especially yesterday.</p>
<p>	He's not expecting Andrade to drop by today. His partner has an appointment out of town and is expecting to be back around the time Angel's off work. If he is, he'll drop by the cafe to pick Angel up, and if not then Angel's walking home. If he is walking, he'll probably stop somewhere along the way and pick up dinner for them both. He knows they need to stop eating out so much but Angel doesn't really feel like cooking tonight. Especially after working the morning shift and walking home.</p>
<p>	He rejoins Zelina in the main cafe after he finishes his lunch, surprised when she doesn't disappear into the office. Instead she hops up on to one of the counter seats, rests her chin on her hands, and stares at him. He stares back, waiting for her to speak, but she just continues to watch him until he finally can't take it anymore.</p>
<p>	“What?”</p>
<p>	“You seem to be missing your new friend today,” she says, the knowing smile crossing her face that tells Angel she's aware of much more than he thought. “Andrade told me you are a little...fixated on this new kid.”</p>
<p>	“It's not like that,” he hurries to assure her. He would never cheat on Andrade, she knows this. Or she should. “He's just alone and needs some help. And some friends.”</p>
<p>	Zelina nods but doesn't look convinced. She still has that knowing look on her face, the one that makes Angel feel like she's figured something out but is waiting for him to catch on. He hates that expression. He thinks she gets way too much amusement from watching him try to figure out what she knows on his own.</p>
<p>	“I thought to introduce him to some of our students,” he explains. “Maybe Liv or Humberto. Peyton and Billie are graduating but I think they're staying in the city. They can show him all the places we're not cool enough to go.”</p>
<p>	“Hey!” Zelina protests but it's with a smile. Her and Aleister are similar to himself and Andrade, much preferring to stay in for a relaxing night than going out to party. </p>
<p>	“Do you think it would be weird if I offered to teach him how to cook?” he asks. He'd asked Andrade last night and his soulmate was fine with the idea if Austin seemed open to it but Angel still wants an outside opinion. He quickly explains what had happened the night before, downplaying just how bad the mess truly was, and adding in his own thoughts on the whole thing. “So?'</p>
<p>	Zelina cocks her head, thinking about it. “It's not weird for you. But you don't really know this kid and he doesn't know you, so maybe if you offer, you can suggest using the cafe's kitchen after supper rush. Then you're not alone and Austin might feel more comfortable.”</p>
<p>	Angel's relieved to hear her suggest that, as he'd been hoping he could use the cafe if Austin accepts his offer. He thinks it will be much easier to use the cafe's kitchen on the days he's working the morning shifts and Austin can meet him here after his classes, once they begin. Assuming of course, the student accepts the offer. If not, Angel's sure he can find a few good cooking classes to suggest. Their regular college students are always talking about cooking classes they're taking so it should be easy to find a few suggestions for Austin.</p>
<p>	“Thanks,” Angel sets about making himself a latte since they have no customers at the moment. He adds a frappe for Zelina when she asks. “If he says yes, maybe you would like to join us some of the times. You are the better cook.”</p>
<p>	“I'll think about it,” she gives him that look that tells him she's not fooled by him turning on the charm.</p>
<p>	Once he's finished making her drink, she disappears into the office. She and Aleister always plan a big event for their student regulars at the end of each semester to celebrate the end of exams. Maybe he should make sure Austin gets an invite. The party would give him a chance to meet kids his own age and who knows, maybe by chance his soulmate. There has to be a reason Austin not only felt such a pull to the city but also to the cafe. For Angel, it was a specific bus stop that he felt the need to use even though he passed two others on his way to that one. For Aleister, it was the peer mentor program even though he never felt the desire to get involved in any other school activities. But that had been how they'd each been in the right place to meet their soulmates. So Angel is becoming more and more convinced the cafe is meant to play a part in Austin's soulmate story.</p>
<p>	“Hey, there's our favourite barista,” he can hear Peyton's voice long before she and Billie are at the counter.</p>
<p>	“We,” Billie slaps her palms down on the counter for emphasis, “are in desperate need of some caffeine.”</p>
<p>	“Your usuals?” Angel flashes them his famous smile. They're another of his favourite soulmate stories, having known each other since they were kids and falling in love during high school before realizing the pull they always felt toward each other meant they were soulmates. “I can bring them to your table.”</p>
<p>	The girls exchange a look and instead both hop up on the stools. “We came for some gossip with our caffeine,” Billie slings her arm around Peyton's shoulders and leans their heads together as they both watch Angel prepare their drinks. “Who is that young man you've been hanging out with lately? Do we have to threaten you not to break Andrade's heart?”</p>
<p>	“Andrade knows,” Angel tells them. “His name is Austin and he just moved here for college. We've been trying to help him get settled. I actually wanted to talk to you girls about him.”</p>
<p>	He leaves out all the major details that he thinks Austin would probably not want them to know, focusing instead of him being a new college kid. They don't need to know all the details he's learned about Austin's past, not that the kid's shared much but Angel has his suspicions. He can't answer most of the girls' questions: Austin's favourite movies, what he does for fun, what kind of music he listens to, anything. It gets him teased by the girls but he knows they're just playing. It's part of the reason they're two of his favourite customers. They tease him just as much as he teases them, flirt with him just as much as he flirts with them, and they all know it's all in good fun.</p>
<p>	“Angel!” Billie leans across the counter as he's setting down their drinks, gently slapping his arm. “Of course we'll help your new friend.”</p>
<p>	“It's the least we can do after all the free drinks you gave us,” Peyton adds.</p>
<p>	At first, Angel had worried about how many free drinks and free food the cafe gave away to their college clientele, even though he loved being able to make their day with a free treat. Both Aleister and Zelina have repeatedly assured him that the cafe takes in more than enough for them to afford it and if it ever got to be too much, they would let him know. So, of course, he waves off the girls' attempt to pay for their drinks since they've agreed to do him a favour. He continues to chat with the girls in between serving the customers that come in for a mid-afternoon hit of caffeine.</p>
<p>	The girls hang out most of the afternoon, updating Angel on the end of their exams and plans for the Summer. They're both planning on sticking around for the beginning of the Summer then heading back to Australia for August to visit their families before coming back to look for jobs. They seem confident in their prospects. Peyton even says she has a potential job offer to start in September, which is a big reason why they're planning on coming back to the city. </p>
<p>	“Seth!” The girls exclaiming in unison makes Angel grin as they hurry over to Seth, greeting him with hugs before he's even finished walking through the door. He loves how much the girls think of the cafe staff as part of their family and the feeling is definitely mutual. The three of them walk back to the counter where the girls hop back on their stools and Seth joins Angel on the staff side.</p>
<p>	“Hey Seth.”</p>
<p>	“Hey,” Seth nudges Angel away from the espresso machine so he can make himself a drink. When it comes to creating drinks, Seth is his favourite co-worker to watch. He can take combinations that should never work together and, somehow, it completely works.</p>
<p>	“Ooooh, that looks good,” Billie's eyes light up at the sight of Seth's final product.</p>
<p>	From the way Seth's eyes close as he takes his first sip, Angel guesses his drink tastes just as good as it looks. Might end up as a new addition to their Wacky Wednesday menu. Peyton lets Seth enjoy most of his drink before swiping his mug to steal the last few sips, demanding the drink be added to the menu so she can have one next time.  The girls say their goodbyes and Angel and Seth get back to work. Angel starts his end of shift preparations while Seth handles any customers that come in.</p>
<p>	“Andrade said you guys are coming to Buddy's show on Saturday?” Seth grins, almost vibrating in place. Angel finds it cute how proud and excited Seth gets every time Buddy has a show. “He's been working on a new song.”</p>
<p>	“We'll be there.” Going out to a bar to listen to a live band isn't usually high on his list but he actually likes Buddy's band. And it always makes Seth happy to see a crowd for his soulmate's band. “You need anything before I head out?”</p>
<p>	Seth shakes his head. “All good. And Zelina's in the office if I need her.”</p>
<p>	Angel pops his head into the office to say goodbye to Zelina, says goodbye to Seth on his way out the door, then heads out. He checks his texts to make sure Andrade hasn't messaged him that he's on his way and, finding nothing, begins his walk. He picks up a couple of Buddha bowls from Daniel and Kane's take out restaurant for their dinner, thinking if they're going to eat take out at least it's healthy take out. He makes short work of the rest of his walk home, putting the bowls in the fridge so he can take a shower before eating.</p>
<p>	He takes his time in the shower, probably using more hot water than is needed, but it feels so good. He ends up taking such a long shower that by the time he's finished, dressed in a pair of sweats, Andrade is coming through the door. While Andrade changes, Angel gets their Buddha bowls from the fridge and sets the table, getting them both a glass of water to go with their dinner.</p>
<p>	“How was work?” Andrade asks when he rejoins him.</p>
<p>	“Good,” Angel replies. “Zelina said I could use the cafe's kitchen to teach Austin to cook if he wants to. I haven't asked him yet.”</p>
<p>	“He will say yes,” Andrade smiles knowingly. He hasn't seen the student today, having left early for an appointment, but he's sure Austin will accept the offer. “I can help too.”</p>
<p>	Angel smiles, loving the idea of the three of them cooking together, laughing together, just spending time together. He blinks, wondering where that feeling had come from, and stuffs a bite of food into his mouth to keep from thinking about it. They chat about the cafe's upcoming student event, both of them looking forward to it. Andrade's appointment had been to pick up some supplies Aleister needs for a surprise he's making for the party, a surprise Angel still hasn't been able to discover. </p>
<p>	“Let's have an early night,” he suggest to Andrade once they'd finished dinner. They're both working the closing shift tomorrow so neither of them have to be up early so, of course, he doesn't mean go to bed. He can asked Austin about the cooking lessons tomorrow. Tonight, he's going to spend with his soulmate.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Offer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Angel makes an offer to Austin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Austin waves to Andrade on his way to drop his stuff at an empty table, the same table Angel had pointed him to the first time he'd walked into the cafe. He hasn't seen Andrade or Angel in a couple of days now, not that he's been avoiding them, but he hasn't been to the cafe and his path hasn't crossed theirs while he's been out running errands. It's not like he's gone out of his way to avoid them, like crossing the street if he saw them or walking out of his way to avoid walking passed the cafe. He's just been busy getting his school schedule set and picking up his books for his classes.</p>
<p>	"Want your usual?" Andrade asks as Austin makes his way to the counter.</p>
<p>	Nodding, Austin puts a ten dollar bill on the counter as Andrade begins to make his drink. If he just leaves the money on the counter, he thinks Andrade will have to accept the payment. He can't keep letting Andrade and Angel give him drinks for free, no matter how much they try to convince him that it's fine. His drink and a blueberry scone are soon placed in front of him on the counter and, as he'd hoped, Andrade takes his money. When the older man turns his back to clean the espresso machine, Austin slips his change into the tip jar, knowing Andrade would tell him to keep it if he saw him.</p>
<p>	He settles onto the bench and takes out the notebook he'd been writing all his school information in, hoping to do some work on planning out his schedule. He's going to have a lot of early classes with some afternoon classes, no night classes, and he ends up with every second Friday being free. Not that having a three day weekend every second week is an exciting prospect to him just yet. Maybe once he starts classes and gets to know the city better, maybe somehow make some friends, the three day weekends will seem more appealing. Maybe he can find a weekend cooking class so he feels like less of a disaster.</p>
<p>	He's so absorbed in writing out his schedule that he startles when Angel drops into a chair across from him, not having seen the older man approaching the table. “Hi,” he greets the new arrival. “Working today?”</p>
<p>	“I close,” Angel replies. He'd gotten to the cafe early for his shift, planning on enjoying a coffee before he has to start work but he happily detoured to Austin's table when he'd noticed the student in the corner. “I actually wanted to ask you something so I'm glad you're here.”</p>
<p>	“Oh,” Austin cocks his head, putting away his notebook. “Okay. What?”</p>
<p>	“You don't have to say yes,” Angel is quick to say, “but Zelina offered to let us use the kitchen here after dinner rush, if you want to learn to cook. I can teach you some stuff, Zelina said she would help, so did Andrade. We just have to make sure we clean up after or Bayley won't let us taste test her new desserts. And we don't want that.”</p>
<p>	“Can I think about it?” Austin asks, not completely against the idea. He'd been debating back and forth with himself on whether attending a cooking class or hiring someone to teach him would be better. He has so many years of home school that learning one on one is what he knows and with him already having to get used to classroom learning at college, having private cooking lessons seems like a good idea. And knowing the lessons will be at the cafe, if he accepts Angel's offer, helps. He doesn't need Angel or Andrade finding out that he hasn't unpacked a thing since the day they helped him clean up the mess in his kitchen. He still doesn't understand why they've taken such an interest in him and he worries how easy it is for him to forget that he doesn't really know them.</p>
<p>	Angel nods. “Of course. Just let one of us know when you decide. Honestly, I need to be cooking more. We eat out way too much.”</p>
<p>	That gets the laugh he wants from the student. He looks up when a coffee is set in front of him, along with a refill for Austin. He flashes a smile at Andrade, wrapping his hands around the warm mug and raising it to his lips to take a sip. Perfect. He has his usual go-to drinks but sometimes he adds a little something depending on his mood. Andrade's always good at knowing how to fix his coffee no matter his mood and today, he can taste a shot of caramel syrup. Andrade's also brought over a slice of cake, something Angel hasn't seen before so it looks like Bayley's been experimenting again.</p>
<p>	“Free refills,” Andrade waves away Austin's attempt to grab his wallet. “And this is a taste test.”</p>
<p>	Andrade goes back to the counter and Angel doesn't miss his partner shooting a look at the clock. Angel nods, knowing he still has some time before his shift starts. Enough to enjoy his drink and share the piece of cake with Austin. Andrade did bring over two forks, after all. He hands over one of them to Austin, pushing the plate to the middle of the table before he takes a bite. Bayley has definitely outdone herself this time. It's some sort of cheesecake, caramel, sweet and salty, definitely going to be a big hit when Bayley adds it to their regular menu.</p>
<p>	“It's for both of us,” he says when Austin doesn't move to eat the dessert. “And it's really good.”</p>
<p>	“Fine,” Austin can't help smiling as he takes a bite, a soft moan escaping him as the taste of creamy caramel bursts on to his tongue. “Okay, you're right. It's really good.”</p>
<p>	Angel makes sure to match Austin bite for bite, or more that he makes sure Austin matches him. He doesn't want to end up eating most of the cheesecake because Austin is too unsure about taking more. Maybe he can sweet talk Bayley into helping teach them both a little baking once they get some of the cooking lessons started. If Austin agrees, of course. He probably shouldn't get ahead of himself because there's a chance the student could turn down the offer. The cake is soon gone and Angel finishes his coffee not long after but he still has a few minutes before his shift starts.</p>
<p>	“Getting ready for classes?” he asks, gesturing to the stack of books.</p>
<p>	“Yeah,” Austin takes the last sip of his mocha and sets the empty cup on the now empty plate. “It's not a full schedule. They don't offer that during the summer but it's a start.”</p>
<p>	“Should give you time to explore the city then,” Angel remarks, stacking his own empty cup into Austin's. “There's actually a bar on the other side of the college campus. They're having a band on Saturday. It's called 205Live.”</p>
<p>	Austin shrugs. “Maybe. I don't know if bars are really my thing.”</p>
<p>	“You can always leave if you don't like it,” Angel suggests. “A lot of the college students hang out there. When they're not here getting our amazing customer service of course.”</p>
<p>	“Hard to give amazing service when you're not behind the counter,” he hears Zelina's voice call out and turns to see Andrade, Zelina, and Aleister all watching them from behind the counter. “Planning on working at all today?”</p>
<p>	Angel flashes her the smile that seems to get him out of trouble with everyone but her and Andrade. He grabs the pen from Austin's hand and writes the information for Buddy's show on a page in his open notebook before he takes their dishes to the counter. He doesn't look back to see Austin's reaction. He hopes the student will at least check out the show. It's a good place to meet people and he knows both Buddy and Seth will be happy to see a new face in the sea of regular crowd.</p>
<p>	“He said he would think about it,” he tells them all, knowing they're all looking at him because they're waiting to see if he's asked Austin about cooking lessons yet. He's pretty sure Zelina is supposed to be off today but assumes she came in to help with the planning of their student party.  “Better than no.”</p>
<p>	“He will say yes,” Andrade assures him.</p>
<p>	Angel appreciates his soulmate's confidence. Andrade has always been the more confident of the two of them. Angel is good at faking it and only Andrade and Zelina are able to see through him. Zelina and Aleister head back to their office, leaving Angel and Andrade to man the counter. Angel makes sure to peek his head into the kitchen to tell Bayley how much he loved the cheesecake and expresses his hope that it makes the regular menu soon.</p>
<p>	“What should we do for dinner tonight?” Andrade will be the one handling dinner since Angel is closing. They've gotten used to eating late, preferring to wait for each other to be off and eat together.</p>
<p>	“We could do breakfast for dinner,” Angel grins, nudging his partner and raising his eyebrows.  The very first time Angel had tried to cook dinner for Andrade, he'd made a huge mess and burnt everything, so he'd ended up cooking the one thing he was decent at, which was breakfast. They don't do it often, but sometimes it's nice and it's an easy, light meal before they watch some TV then go to bed.</p>
<p>	“That sounds good to me,” comes the quick agreement.</p>
<p>	They get to work rearranging the dessert display, rotating in the way Bayley had expressly told them. They never want to risk making her angry. She's normally a cheerful, bubbly person but when she gets angry, it's terrifying. She doesn't get angry often. Usually if someone has messed with her kitchen or her desserts or in defense of her family and friends. Angel once made the mistake of trying to flash her his smile when she was angry at him, thinking it would charm her like it does most people but it just backfired and got Sasha angry with him as well. Angel catches Andrade glancing over at Austin every now and then and gives him a knowing look.</p>
<p>	“I am not the only one becoming attached,” he says, smirking and earning himself a swat from Andrade.</p>
<p>	“This is your fault,” Andrade tells him, but he's smiling so Angel knows he's not upset.</p>
<p>	Seeing Andrade acknowledging both their growing attachments to the college student reaffirms Angel's belief that they're meant to play a role in Austin finding his soulmate. And he hopes from Andrade's acknowledgement that his partner is coming along to his way of thinking. When he'd mentioned his thoughts, Andrade hadn't looked too convinced but maybe he's coming around. Angel just wants everyone to feel as happy and complete as he does with his soulmate. Or soulmates, in cases like Buddy, Drew, and Seth, but multiple soulmates are so rare and even finding the two perfect people doesn't always mean a smooth relationship. He had watched Seth struggle with the idea of not just one person wanting him, but two, and all three of them worry that the bond would be stronger between only two of them and their third would feel left out. It took some time but the three of them were as solid as Angel has ever seen them.</p>
<p>	“I guess I will see you at home,” Andrade gives him a quick kiss. “I'll have dinner waiting.”</p>
<p>	Angel watches Andrade stick his head into the kitchen to call goodbye to Bayley, Aleister, and Zelina. Normally Bayley would be gone this late in the afternoon but she's experimenting today. He hopes he'll be able to try another creation later. Andrade gives him one last kiss, calls out a goodbye to Austin, then leaves.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Showtime</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Austin decides to take in Buddy's show and meets some new people.</p>
<p>Sorry for the late update. Had family visiting for a few weeks so couldn't write a lot.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Austin regrets his decision almost the second the walks into the bar. He hadn't told anyone from the coffeeshop that he was planning on going to check out the band, hadn't been sure he was even going to until he was on his way out the door. Now he's left standing by the bar, looking around in hopes of seeing a familiar face and that the show hadn't been cancelled. He's just about to turn around and go home when he sees a man waving at him from a table by the side of the stage. It takes him a moment to recognize Seth from the cafe as the other man pulls out a chair for him.</p>
<p>	"Angel said you might be coming tonight," Seth tells him. "We haven't officially met yet. I'm Seth."</p>
<p>	"Austin," he notices they seem to be the only ones there at the moment.</p>
<p>	"It's still early," Seth explains, obviously having seen the way he's looking around. "The others usually get here right before the show starts but I come with Buddy for soundcheck so I can save us a table."</p>
<p>	Seth grins as a waitress approaches their table. “This is Liv. Best waitress in the bar.”</p>
<p>	“Compliments won't get you a free drink Sethie,” Liv winks at Austin, making him smile. “You guys want to order something now or wait for the others to get here?”</p>
<p>	Seth ends up ordering a beer and nachos. Austin decides to start with a soda and, on Liv's recommendation, he opts to try something called fried cheese pops. He's not a big drinker so he might stick with soda all night, especially since he has no idea who all is coming and he doesn't want to get drunk in front of people he barely knows. Liv heads off to place their orders and in the following silence, Austin tries to remember if he's been told anything about Seth that would be useful to start a conversation.</p>
<p>	Angel's always talking about people Austin's never met as if he knows them and Austin often times has a hard time remembering the names involved in each story without a face to put them to, not that he's been spending so much time with Angel that he knows all his friends' life stories. Seth isn't someone Austin had really gotten a chance to talk to yet, mostly seeing him as he's arriving for his shifts at the coffeeshop on the days Austin's been hanging out there. He also has no idea what, if anything, Angel has told Seth about him.</p>
<p>	“You're early,” Seth says as someone drops into the empty chair next to him, saving them from awkward silence. “This is Drew, one of my soulmates. Drew, this is Austin. He's new in town.”</p>
<p>	“Wrapped up early,” Drew gives Seth a quick kiss. “Hey Austin.”</p>
<p>	“Hi.”</p>
<p>	Now he's really regretting getting here so early. Sitting at a table with a pair of soulmates he doesn't know seems to be happening to him quite often between Drew and Seth, Andrade and Angel, and the two students whose names he hadn't caught but he'd run into multiple times when he was on campus. He's always been a little skittish about hanging out with couples, probably because his own parents spent more time fighting than being happy. The people in his family have a habit of easily falling in love with people who aren't their soulmates, marrying them, and spending the marriage in misery before divorcing. It's a big part of the reason he's so insistent on finding his own soulmate. He doesn't want to end up like his parents.</p>
<p>	“Buddy been out yet?” Drew asks, obviously talking to Seth.</p>
<p>	“Should be out soon,” Seth tells him.</p>
<p>	Austin's relieved when Liv shows up with their food and drinks to give him something to focus on besides the conversation. He takes a bite of a cheese pop, immediately reaching for his soda to cool his mouth from the hot cheese. His eyes are watering, he tries to suppress a cough but that just makes it worst. A cold glass is pressed into his hand and he gulps what turns out to be water until the glass is empty. When he's able to focus, he sees that someone else had joined the table.</p>
<p>	“You okay?” Seth asks, refilling the glass with water from a pitcher Austin hadn't noticed appear on the table. “Sorry, we should have warned you they were hot.”</p>
<p>	Austin takes a few more sips from his refilled glass. “I'm okay. Just wasn't expecting it.” His tongue still feels like it's on fire but he can deal with it. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>	“Take your time,” the new guy at the table tells him. “I've done the same thing more than once. Not easy to sing a full show when your tongue's been burned.”</p>
<p>	With that bit of information, Austin guesses the new guy is Buddy and the third soulmate. He's never met a triad of soulmates before. He has enough trouble imagining finding one soulmate, having two is just an idea he cannot wrap his brain around. He has so many questions but he doesn't know them well enough to ask. He startles when an arm reaches between him and Seth to place another glass full of soda on the table and he turns to find Liv smiling at him.</p>
<p>	“Thought you might need a refill,” she winks at him. She disappears just as quickly, making Austin's head spin a little with how quickly she moves.</p>
<p>	“Liv does that a lot,” Buddy explains with a shrug. “Too much energy to be contained. At least that's what she says.”</p>
<p>	Austin's not sure what to say to that so he just nods. He, carefully this time, bites into another cheese pop to find it's at the perfect temperature then he offers the basket around the table but everyone declines. The other two are picking at Seth's nachos, much to his complaints, and Austin can't help thinking how cute the triad is together. Like Andrade and Angel, or Aleister and Zelina the few times he's seen them in the coffeeshop.</p>
<p>	“You came!” an excited voice says into Austin's ear and suddenly Angel is seated in the empty chair that had been next to him. Andrade takes the last open seat on Angel's other side. “Did you meet everyone already? Guys, this is Austin. Austin, that's Seth, Buddy, and Drew.”</p>
<p>	“We're way ahead of ya Mate,” Drew laughs, stealing another nacho off Seth's platter. “You guys don't usually get here until after the show starts. Something interesting here worth rushing your close?”</p>
<p>	Austin feels like he's completely missing something but at least from the confused expressions on Angel's and Andrade's faces, they have no idea what's happening either. Liv arrives to take everyone else's orders, saving him from making a decision on if he should ask Drew or stay quiet and keep wondering. He's not paying attention to what the others are ordering since he already has his food so he's not expecting the gentle nudge from Angel and to look up to see everyone staring at him.</p>
<p>	“What?” he asks.</p>
<p>	“We're going to get a bunch of food for the table,” Seth tells him. “And a couple of pitchers of beer. You good with that?”</p>
<p>	“Yeah, sure.”</p>
<p>	Buddy stays for a few more minutes then excuses himself to go back with his band. Austin gets drawn into a conversation with Seth about college while Drew's talking to Andrade and Angel about his job. Seth has a lot of good tips, like a shortcut between buildings that will save him time so he doesn't end up stuck in the front row of his second class and the best places in the library to study. They exchange numbers at Seth's request, the older man telling him to text anytime if he has questions. </p>
<p>	When Drew catches Seth's attention, Austin turns his own to Angel and Andrade, watching them interact with each other. As open as Angel has been in talking with him, he still gets the feeling there's a lot he hasn't been told. Not that he thinks it's any of his business. And he knows he could easily be seeing things that aren't there, making assumptions about their relationship. It's not like he has any experience with relationships. But he does still like to observe people in relationships interacting. There's something about the way that Andrade watches Angel that gives Austin the feeling like the older man is always ready to protect his soulmate. And he's noticed a few times that Angel will drift off in the middle of a conversation, like he's remembering something he'd rather forget about. It hasn't been long since he's arrived and met them, but he can already tell that those two are the embodiment of what he expects soulmates to be. They're just so perfect together. He wants that one day.</p>
<p>	“Buddy plays here every second weekend,” Angel leans a little closer so Austin can hear him over the radio playing some song he doesn't recognize. “Seth comes to every show. Drew gets to most of them. Sometimes Aleister and Zelina show up too. And lots of the college kids from the cafe.”</p>
<p>	“Do you guys come a lot?” he wants to wince even as the words are leaving his mouth. He can see the amusement in Angel's eyes at the unintended innuendo, but thankfully the older man doesn't call him on it.</p>
<p>	Andrade leans over to join the conversation. “We try to once a month. Angel likes to dance with one of the bartenders.”</p>
<p>	“Andrade doesn't dance,” Angel whispers with a conspiring grin at Austin. “Not in public.”</p>
<p>	The way Angel says it, Austin immediately pictures the two of them dancing around in their kitchen as they cook dinner. Andrade wraps an arm around Angel's neck, pulling him close and giving him a noogie, surprising a laugh from Austin. There's also laughter from next to him and he glances over to find Seth and Drew watching them. There's something about the looks on their faces, like they're both contemplating the same thought, but Austin has no idea what it could possibly be.</p>
<p>	“Is Charly here tonight?” Drew looks over at the bar, a huge smile appearing on his face. “She is. Gonna dance with her tonight?”</p>
<p>	Angel doesn't look put out by the teasing, just flashes the grin Austin is becoming quite familiar with. “Maybe there's someone else who wants to dance tonight.”</p>
<p>	“And risk Charly finding someone else?” Seth teases as Liv appears with a tray loaded with food.</p>
<p>	Austin's eyes widen a little, not having paid attention when the order was being placed. So much food. He waves off Drew's offer to fill a glass for him from the pitcher of beer that Liv placed on the table. He's fine with his soda for now. And the rest of his cheese pops. But he does take some of the fries and a couple onion rings when the others insist. He's distracted by his phone buzzing and, seeing the others caught up in dividing up the food, he takes it out of his pocket to see who could be texting him.</p>
<p>	<strong>Son, I have a fundraiser to attend in two week's time and I hope you can join me. I will book your flight home on your say so. Hope you are well.<br/>
- Mother<strong></strong></strong></p>
<p>“Everything alright?” Angel asks, leaning close to whisper into his ear.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Austin deletes the message and slides his phone back into his pocket. His mother should know he can't just take off from school, not that he wants to go to the fundraiser anyway. He goes to grab an onion ring, finding more food has been added to his plate while he was distracted and he looks around to see Andrade smiling innocently at him. He narrows his eyes but there's a smile pulling at his lips.</p>
<p>Before any more conversations can start, the lights dim and the band comes out. Austin cheers along with Andrade, Angel, and Drew while Seth stands and hollers his approval. It doesn't take long for Seth to pull Drew away from the table and toward the dance floor. Not long after, a woman comes up to the table and Angel heads off with her, making Austin assume she's the Charly that was mentioned earlier. That leaves him alone at the table with Andrade, who seems happy to just watch Angel and Charly dance. He's also not much of a dancer so he's more than happy to keep Andrade company at the table while Angel is busy.
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Andrade and Angel enjoy their morning off while Austin spends time with Seth and Buddy, though mostly Seth.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andrade stretches out the next morning as he wakes, careful not to disturb Angel. They'd stayed out a little later than they'd originally planned since neither of them are working an early shift today and Andrade is more than happy to stay in bed until he's forced to get up for the day. Angel has barely moved from the position where he'd fallen asleep, his head making its way to Andrade's shoulder instead of his pillow being the only movement. Andrade can't blame him. Angel hadn't gotten drunk but he'd definitely been tipsy and he'd barely sat down the whole night. His soulmate had danced with Charly, Seth, Liv, and he'd even convinced Austin to get out on the dancefloor for a couple of songs. Andrade had been more than happy to watch his soulmate have his fun with the others while he'd stayed at the table.</p>
<p>	They'd walked home after the show. Drew And Seth were staying behind to wait for Buddy to pack up and they could have waited to catch a ride with them, but they'd wanted to get home and Andrade could tell Angel hadn't wanted to let Austin walk home alone. It might be a safe area but Andrade knows how he would feel if he'd been invited out and then everyone else left together. Angel hadn't needed to do much convincing for them to join Austin in the walk back to the apartment building.</p>
<p>	Angel had collapsed on to the bed the second they'd gotten home and it had been up to Andrade to take off his soulmate's clothes. Angel had been too tired to put up much of a fuss, mostly whining that Andrade hadn't immediately joined him in bed. He loves Angel but there had been no way he was getting into bed without brushing his teeth. Once he had, he'd settled under the cover and Angel had immediately curled up next to him. It hadn't taken long for Angel to fall asleep but Andrade stayed awake, listening to the even breaths of his sleeping partner. Something had been pulling on his mind and, as it always seemed to be lately, it had to do with Austin. The kid had been silent and distracted during their walk home, no amount of questioning had gotten him to open up, and Andrade had finally had to stop Angel from continuing to ask questions.</p>
<p>	He expects Angel, if he remembers the walk home, will want to track down Austin today before work to check on him. Andrade plans on heading off that idea. They've made it perfectly clear to Austin that he's more than welcome in their apartment and that they're more than willing to help him out or listen to him. If he needs them, Andrade is sure he'll find them. He does have to admit to himself that it's a little concerning that Austin hasn't really tried to avoid them. He's sure if two older guys had started paying him so much attention when he'd been Austin's age, he would have run and avoided them as much as he could. It definitely worries him that Austin seems to go back and forth between wanting to hang out with them and pushing them away, not that Angel allows him to push them away for long. Andrade's get trying to reign Angel in a bit, but he also gets it. Something about Austin screams 'protect'.</p>
<p>	He lies in bed a little while longer but eventually, he has no choice but to slide out from under Angel and make his way to the bathroom. He takes a quick shower after relieving himself to wash away the smell of the bar then heads into the kitchen to make, after a quick glance at the clock, brunch. He figures Angel will wake up when he smells the food. If not, Andrade will just have to wake him up. A quick look in the fridge tells him they really need to do a grocery run soon but there's enough for him to make a breakfast hashbrown casserole, which should also be heavy enough to keep them full until dinnertime.</p>
<p>	He's just putting the casserole in the oven to melt the cheese when Angel comes stumbling into the kitchen, his familiarity with the kitchen the only thing keeping him from running into furniture as he makes his way toward the coffeepot. Andrade waits until the other man's had a few sips of coffee before taking the few steps to the table where Angel had settled to give his partner a kiss on the top of his head.</p>
<p>	“You have time to shower before breakfast,” he tells Angel. He knows his soulmate hates smelling like a bar just as much as he does; it's rare for them to go to bed without showering after one of Buddy's shows but they'd been too tired.</p>
<p>	“Thanks,” Angel smiles at him over the top of his coffee mug. A few more sips and he's done, setting the mug in the sink and heading toward the bathroom.</p>
<p>*****</p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Austin sleeps until noon, first time in months that he's slept so late into the day. Usually he's up early to go for a run before coming back home to shower and eat breakfast. But he'd had trouble falling asleep last night, his mind too focused on the text he'd received from his mother. He'd known he would have to deal with it in the morning. As expected, he has multiple texts messages waiting for him, no missed called though, apparently her request for his presence isn't enough to warrant a phone call.</p>
<p>	He's surprised to also see a text message from Seth in between the numerous ones from his mother. He clicks to open Seth's first, the one he thinks will be easier to deal with, and reads it.</p>
<p>	Hey, it's Seth. Buds and I r going 2 the gym later. Want 2 come?</p>
<p>	Austin quickly texts back that he will, eager to get a proper workout in and to check out the gym, whichever one Seth and Buddy go to. He expects he'll need a way to work out his frustrations after dealing with his mother's texts and the gym will be a great way to do that. Almost immediately, he gets a reply from Seth to confirm the time and that he and Buddy will swing by to pick him up. He decides to make himself a cup of coffee before reading all the texts from his mother – and sending her a reply that will say he's not attending her fundraiser.</p>
<p>	His refusal goes as well as he expects. He's not surprised when his mother can't even be bothered to call him to try to convince him his presence is essential. She just keeps sending text messages to express her disappointment, as if she can guilt him into changing his mind. She doesn't go as far as demanding, she never does, but she still manages to make him feel like a horrible son. He knows he should be used to reactions like that from both his parents but it still affects him every time. He can handle it better from his father, whose contact comes mostly from his assistant, but his mother occasionally will send him a message asking about his day, giving him a little hope that she cares only for her to pull away again. He hopes that once he's independent and able to support himself, he'll feel differently toward his parents. </p>
<p>	It's pointless to shower when he's going to the gym in a few hours but he hops in anyway, needing to clear his head and relax his tense muscles. He stays in there until the water starts to turn cold, drying off and putting on his gym clothes. He figures he may as well since he doesn't plan on going anywhere in between now and the time Seth had said they'd pick him up. He does need to eat something though, knows better than to work out on an empty stomach. He settles on making a smoothie and toast, his go-to most mornings until he learns how to cook and trusts himself in the kitchen. He's stocked up on fruits and protein powder to make the smoothies as filling as possible. Once it's ready, he settles on his couch to watch some TV until it's gym time.</p>
<p>	He zones out on the television so when Seth texts, the noise startles him. He sends back a text saying he'll be right down, grabs his gym bag, and locks the door behind him. A honk comes from a car parked across the street from the apartment building and he sees Seth waving at him from the passenger's seat of a beat up blue car with Buddy in the driver's seat. As he walks toward the car, Seth jumps out to open the trunk so Austin can throw his bag in with theirs. Seth offers him the front seat but Austin declines, not wanting to take the spot next to Seth's soulmate.</p>
<p>	The gym turns out to be the campus gym that Austin hasn't had a chance to check out yet. Students are permitted one guest so Buddy is signed in under Seth then they head to the locker room to change. They start off together, finding three treadmills beside each other and Seth takes the lead on setting the pace, the other two matching him easily. After the warm up, they split to find other equipment with Austin beelining for some barbells. He enjoys running but weightlifting has always been his go to stress reliever work out. The soreness in his muscles the day after a great weight work out is just different than the soreness from a long run.</p>
<p>	Austin zones out during his work out, focused on himself and the weights. He doesn't notice the time passing until Seth comes to find him to see if he's ready to leave. It's only then that Austin realizes they've been at the gym for over two hours. He follows Seth to the locker room to shower, finding Buddy already waiting for them inside. Buddy has some errands to run so he drops Seth and Austin off close to the café when they both decline to tag along. Austin's not quite sure why Seth decided not to go with Buddy, but he thinks it would be slightly awkward for him to tag along for someone's errands he barely knows. Hanging out at the gym is one thing, personal errands is a whole other thing.</p>
<p>	“Hey, you wanna grab dinner?” Seth asks as Austin is trying to decide how to say goodbye without seeming rude. “It's a little early but Drew's working late, Buddy takes forever when he's doing errands, and I'm kind of starving.”</p>
<p>	“I could eat,” he realizes just how hungry he is now that food's been mentioned. And eating out with someone sounds much more appealing than going home and ordering take out.</p>
<p>	“Great!” Seth lists off a few places, none of which Austin has heard of, so he just tells the other man to choose one.</p>
<p>	Walking with Seth isn't awkward since the other man fills the silence by talking about his soulmates. Austin can't help smiling at the stories and how obviously in love Seth is with them. All the stories are current, not giving Austin any clues to how they all got together or how they figured out they were meant to be a triad of soulmates. They stop in front of a pub and, after Austin nods his agreement to Seth's questioning look, they head inside. They're quickly seated by a friendly hostess and Seth is immediately recommending all his favourites, which seem to make up most of the menu.</p>
<p>	Austin decides on a pasta dish after Seth tells him all their pasta is freshly made by one of Bayley's friends. It's been so long since he's had fresh pasta. One of the cooks his parents had had through the years was a big fan of making it and Austin had been so disappointed when the guy had left. Seth orders a chicken burger and fries after declaring it's a cheat day and he's earned it after the gym. They each order a soda to go with it then the waitress goes off to place their order and they're left in silence.</p>
<p>	“So...” Seth breaks the silence. “How's the unpacking coming?”</p>
<p>	“Slowly,” Austin admits. Part of him wonders if Angel put Seth up to inviting him out and asking him that question, but he quickly puts that idea out of his mind. It's not like Angel's been shy about asking him whatever he wants so if Angel wanted to know, Austin's sure he would have asked himself. “I don't own much stuff so I just keep thinking the unpacking will happen when I need to do it.”</p>
<p>	“I get that,” Seth nods. “It took me forever to unpack my stuff when we bought the house.” He leans across the table with a conspiring smile. “Drew had to bribe me. If he didn't, I'd probably still have boxes in the closet.”</p>
<p>	Austin laughs but he has to agree. If it's not something he uses or part of the stuff Angel and Andrade had helped him unpack, it's still in the boxes. He knows where the stuff is if he ever actually needs it so why hurry to unbox it all. He'll get it done eventually. One day. Maybe. It's not like he's planning on throwing parties so why should he care if there's still boxes in his apartment?</p>
<p>	“Angel said he offered to teach you to cook?” Seth asks.</p>
<p>	“Yeah,” Austin's not surprised Seth knows about that. It's not like it's a secret. He just hopes Angel hasn't told everyone about his huge disaster when he had tried to cook. “Either that or I'm going to find a class to take. I don't want to bother him. It might take a lot of lessons.”</p>
<p>	“Angel's a decent cook,” Seth tells him. “ Andrade is better but don't tell Angel I said that,” he winks at Austin, making him smile. “Angel's the better teacher though. He's the one who trained me at the coffeeshop.”</p>
<p>	Austin doesn't realize that he leans forward at the hint of a story about Angel but Seth notices. So he obliges and recalls a few of the best stories from his training period. He does have an ulterior motive, other than entertaining Austin with the stories. He's hoping telling Austin how good of a teacher that Angel is, and that offering to teach him is just how Angel is, that the younger man will feel more comfortable with the idea of accepting Angel's offer. He, Drew, and Buddy are all of the same mind that there's something between Austin, Angel, and Andrade and they're all hoping that by spending more time together, the three of them can figure it out.</p>
<p>	The food arrives, cutting the conversation off while they both dig in. While they eat, Austin's phone goes off a couple of times but he ignores it. After the third time, Seth tells him he can answer it, that he doesn't care and won't think Austin's rude.</p>
<p>	“It's my mother,” Austin chooses to turn off his phone instead. He knows his mom is calling about the fundraiser and if he answers, she will guilt him into skipping his classes and attending the event. “I told her no about something and she doesn't like it.”</p>
<p>	“Your mom sounds like my dad,” Seth rolls his eyes. “'Boy, I suddenly remembered you exist as a part of this family so you will be home on this day by this time then I will go back to ignoring you until I remember you exist again.'”</p>
<p>	Austin laughs loudly at the impersonation. He thinks it's probably sad that he gets exactly what Seth is saying, his parents are the exact same way, but he's more relieved that he seems to have found someone who gets his complicated relationship with his parents. It also gives him hope that if someone like Seth, with a similar relationship with his parents, can find his soulmates and turn out to be pretty normal, that maybe there is a chance he can too.</p>
<p>	He turns his phone back on, ignoring the voicemail alerts, and sends a text to Angel accepting his offer to teach him how to cook.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Lessons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Austin's cooking lessons begin and Andrade discovers something.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am so sorry for the lack of updates. Between COVID and only one of the guys being on TV regularly, it's been hard to find the inspiration. But I'm not giving up.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's Angel's favourite kind of shift: busy. It's not just steady, there have been customers in the café since he began his shift. It means he can't spend as much time talking to each one as he normally would, but it makes the time go by faster and it keeps him distracted from the fact that in a few hours he's giving Austin his first cooking lesson. He's decided to start with different ways to cook eggs, since breakfast is his own specialty, there's so many meals to make with them, and he knows Austin eats them. They're quick, easy, and there's plenty of them in the cafe's fridge they can use as long as they replace them tomorrow. His plan for tonight is scrambled eggs, an omelet, and boiled eggs. That should leave them with plenty of time to make a plan for future lessons, find out if Austin has anything specific he wants to learn, and make some shopping lists.</p>
<p>	For now though, he has to concentrate on his customers. He chalks up the steady stream of people to it being the first day of the college's summer classes. Plenty of students coming in to grab some morning caffeine and returning in the afternoon for an iced drink. He can't blame them. It's hot out today and he would hate to be stuck inside a classroom. Then again, he had hated being stuck inside a classroom no matter the weather. Somehow it was different than working inside all day. At least at the café, he can step out back on his break to enjoy the nice weather. The school he'd gone to hadn't been in an area with a lot of outdoor space so there hadn't been anywhere to really go outside, not that the breaks in between classes were ever long enough for that anyway.</p>
<p>	It's a little tight behind the counter with three of them working. He's off in a few hours, just enough time in between to go home, shower and change before coming back to meet Austin, and Andrade is closing, but they'd called Seth in on his day off to help. Zelina's in the back with Bayley working on keeping their pastry displays full and fresh, while hopefully making enough to last until opening tomorrow morning. Aleister's also in back, focusing on making up the plates when someone orders off their small lunch menu, consisting of locally made soups and sandwiches. He's also doing his best to keep up with dishes in between orders, which has slowed down a little now that it's after lunch.</p>
<p>	Angel's hoping it slows down by the time he's supposed to be off. The others will insist he leave but he knows he would feel bad, especially with Seth coming in on his day off. If it's still busy after dinner, when he's supposed to be teaching Austin, they might have to move to one of their apartment kitchens or postpone a week. Angel hates the idea of postponing, he's been looking forward to today ever since Austin said yes, but he also doesn't want to push the student. He just likes when he feels like he can be useful to people and he gets a little enthusiastic about it.</p>
<p>	It turns out he doesn't have to worry as it slows down just before his shift ends. People are no longer craving caffeine at the same rate this close to dinner time, and the café has never been a busy spot for the dinner crowd. He stays a little late to help clean up after the long rush then heads back to the apartment to shower and change. He's back at the café in no time, finding that Bayley has left for the night so they're free to use the kitchen. Seth has also left, leaving Andrade, Zelina, and Aleister. It's supposed to be Andrade and Aleister closing but when Aleister is working, Zelina often comes in instead of staying in their empty house by herself. Angel can't blame her. He and Andrade also do the same thing on nights when only one of them is working.</p>
<p>	Austin shows up not too longer after Angel, seeming to come straight from campus judging by the backpack. Angel's already taken the time to grab them both a drink and set up at the table that's become Austin's regular one. The student is immediately flashing him a grateful smile as he takes a long sip of his mocha.</p>
<p>	“Thanks,” Austin says after he's drank half. He doesn't normally drink caffeine so late but he hadn't slept well the night before, combined with the couple of classes he'd had today, and he's already exhausted. He'd been tempted to cancel but he also knows he's going to have to get used to it. And he has been looking forward to actually cooking something edible. Hopefully.</p>
<p>	Angel lets Austin settle in, talking about his day and asking Austin about his classes. Once the student is finished his mocha, Angel begins to outline his plan for tonight's lesson. He's happy to see Austin looks excited at the idea of starting easy and about the idea of learning different ways to cook one thing. Angel makes a mental note of that for future nights of cooking. If that's Austin's preferred way to learn, then Angel is sure he can come up with some ideas. Different ways to cook potatoes could be an idea for next time.</p>
<p>	“Ready to start?” he asks, motioning Austin toward the counter when the student nods. He waits for Austin to say a quick hello to Andrade before they disappear into the kitchen. Aleister and Zelina are in the office so Angel takes the time to officially introduce Austin to them, giving Austin the chance to thank them for letting him and Angel use the kitchen. Angel notices them exchange a look but he's not sure what it means. People keep looking at him like they know a secret he doesn't and it's beginning to drive him crazy.</p>
<p>	If Angel had been cooking for himself and Andrade, he would have cooked all three meals at the same time, but he's going to take it dish by dish so he doesn't overwhelm Austin. It will also give him time in between cooking to answer questions and Angel knows he prefers small breaks in between learning so he wants to give Austin the same option. Angel really enjoys teaching and training, though it's not something he would want to do as a career. He's good when it's one on one but put him in front of a group and he'd be lost on how to best teach so many people at the same time.</p>
<p>	He starts by going over the basics of cooking boiled eggs. With him distracted by gathering the pots and eggs, Angel doesn't notice at first that Austin has pulled out his notebook and is taking notes. The sight stops him short, causing Austin to look up from his notes when Angel stops talking and giving the older man a confused look.</p>
<p>	“Sorry, got distracted,” Angel confesses.</p>
<p>	He joins Austin at the prep table, talking more slowly as he explains how to begin so Austin can keep up with his note taking. He goes over the different types of boiled eggs, the different things that can be done with them, and he watches as Austin writes down every word. Angel can already tell the student is planning on taking these lessons seriously and it makes Angel that much more determined to make sure Austin does learn enough to make a few meals by the end of it.</p>
<p>	If his suspicions are right, and he's pretty sure they are, Austin's problem isn't that he's a horrible cook or hopeless in the kitchen. It's that he doesn't know or was never taught the basics that the cookbooks don't mention. Angel knows from experience that trying to learn from a cookbook that assumes a person already knows the basics can be overwhelming and he remembers many times where he felt so stupid for not knowing something that should be so simple. It's why, before they even turn on the stove, he makes sure to go over things like: turning the burner to high won't cook food any faster, it will just burn; stirring is important; double check the right burner is on. Angel makes sure each tip comes with a story about how Angel himself had learned it, getting Austin to both laugh and relax. He's fine sharing some embarrassing stories of himself if it puts Austin more at ease.</p>
<p>	They're just about to start actually cooking when Zelina comes out of the office to join them. She doesn't stay long, just checks to see if they need anything before she heads out to the café so Andrade isn't alone for long. A few moments later Aleister comes out of the office, looks over at them, then walks out of the kitchen shaking his head with a smile. Austin's distracted by writing in his notebook but Angel saw it. Angel's getting really tired of feeling like everyone around him knows something he doesn't and he's just about ready to corner someone and demand answers.</p>
<p>	He turns his attention back to Austin before the student can notice his distraction. He stays close but he lets Austin do all the work himself as he talks the younger man through getting a few eggs ready to boil, getting the burner at the right temperature setting, how to set the timer on the stove. While the eggs are boiling, Angel goes over his favourite things to pair in an omelet to give the student some ideas after Austin admits he always goes for the same thing each time: cheese, bacon, and ham. Angel, himself, what he prefers depends on his mood. Sometimes he'll do the same as Austin but other times it's cheese and mushroom, or if he's on a health kick then he'll have spinach and mushroom and peppers with no cheese.</p>
<p>	The timer goes off, startling them both. Again, Angel talks Austin through the tricks he's learned on how to de-shell the eggs. The expression on the student's face when Austin realizes the eggs are cooked correctly is worth the time Angel is giving  up on his night off. He stills remembers the feeling of accomplishment the first time he'd cooked something edible. He still gets that feeling when he attempts a new recipe. He lets the student take a few moments to enjoy his success before they start on making an omelet.</p>
<p>**********</p>
<p>	Andrade wipes down the last of the dirty tables and smiles as he catches the sight of Zelina and Aleister being playful behind the counter. The couple are technically his bosses but it's never been awkward between them. They're like family. That familiarity is what allows him to notice that they're definitely keeping something from him. He doesn't think it's anything bad, more that they know something and they're not sharing. </p>
<p>	When he rejoins them behind the counter, Zelina seems to change the subject of her conversation with Aleister, and Andrade gets the feeling they'd been talking about him. He and Angel had talked more than once about the feeling that their friends were hiding something from them, not just Zelina and Aleister, but also Seth, Drew, and Buddy. Neither of them could come up with anything, their birthdays aren't coming up, neither is their anniversary. He knows they'll find out eventually and if it was something bad, he trusts his friends not to be keeping it a secret.</p>
<p>	“Did you get a chance to eat anything yet?” Zelina asks him.</p>
<p>	“Not yet,” Andrade replies. It had been too busy earlier to take a break and then he just hadn't thought to take one yet.</p>
<p>	“Go,” she orders, playfully pushing him toward the kitchen door.</p>
<p>	He chuckles as he lets his tiny boss manhandle him, pushing open the employee only door to the sound of Angel's laughter, which never fails to put a smile on his face. He finds Angel with Austin, as he expects, shoulder to shoulder at the stove and he can hear his lover's voice explaining how to flip the omelet without breaking it, but even if he does break it, the omelet will still taste delicious. He stands by the door for a moment, enjoying watching Angel in his teaching element. There's a warmth inside him, a gentle tugging feeling, similar to how he'd felt soon after meeting Angel for the first time. His bond with Angel always feels like a gentle tug in his soulmate's direction but this new feeling, it doesn't feel as strong, not as developed.</p>
<p>	His eyes meet Austin's when the student turns around and the warm tug flares. Oh.</p>
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